Catch-up post #1

MAY MEMORIES

I figured the best place to start as I begin filling in the forgotten posts of 2010, would be the month of May - an entire month of pictures that were inadvertently erased from the computer FOREVER . . . ugh.  Oh well, I'm over it now after fretting for months about all the fun memories that were lost.  That is why I'm starting here, with the month of May 2010 and hoping the written word will suffice:

Piano Recital

Sophie and Caroline's spring performance.  I remember taking pictures of the girls with their teacher, Sandra Preyz, as they held up the certificates they received from their performances in federation back in March.  This recital needs to be captured on the blog to preserve the memory of listening to Caroline play her piece flawlessly and with such beautiful expression that she captivated all who were in the room.  She played Pachabel's Canon in D with the fluidity and grace that it deserves and I was amazed that Caroline could "feel" the piano and express her talent so beautifully.  It was a touching performance, and my aunt was literally moved to tears . . . truly a sweet experience for all.   Sophie's "March of the Gnomes" was nicely done, but didn't quite move us as much as Caroline's piece ;-).

Last Kindergarten Outing 

During the school year, Liza and I would have an outing together each Wednesday after kindergarten before the kids came home from school.  Our activities were as simple as a "tea party" on the family room rug, or as elaborate as an afternoon spent at the Discovery Children's Museum or the zoo.  May came too quickly and our last adventure together was approaching.  Liza picked historic Wheeler Farm to spend our afternoon, and I made sure I took my camera to capture our time together (ya, those would be in the forever lost picture category).  So, in lieu of pictures, here are our memories:  watching Liza feed the horses in the shade of the willow trees, listening to her giggle as the baby goats licked her fingers while she played with them through the gates of their enclosure, walking along the bridges and into the meadows while taking in the spectacular view of the Wasatch range, watching the geese flit around their pond, chasing the ducks along the pathways, buying ice cream from the general store, and walking hand in hand as we passed the cows and sheep on our way back to the car.  I'll never forget Liza wearing a sweet yellow skirt and her blue "sunshine" shirt that seemed to match our spring day!


Caroline's 13th Birthday 

Well, Caroline now has the honors of being the only child since birth who doesn't have a single picture to commemorate one of her birthdays.  Memories of her first day becoming a teenager (May 25th) include the fun surprise party her friends Sophie and Maddie arranged at "Top It" frozen yogurt in Holladay after school, then the kids headed to the park to goof off for a bit (I had some sweet pictures of Caroline with all her friends sitting under the trees talking in the myriads of fallen blossoms); the giant plate of cinnamon rolls with 13 candles rather than a cake, per Caroline's request; her excitement upon opening a gift containing Buckyballs - really, that's all she had mentioned and it made me happy that my new teenager still thinks toys make great birthday gifts; and of course, the mandatory picture with her siblings on the couch at the end of the celebrations.  I will do another "catch-up" post highlighting this precious teen of mine.


St. George Memorial Day Weekend

We headed south for the end of May for what turned out to be one of our very most relaxing long weekends - ever.  Sometimes just getting down south for a few days, especially when my parents' pool at their club opens, is just what our family needs to reconnect and get ready for the lazy days of summer.  I took some great pictures to capture our weekend, and out of all the pictures we lost, the one that Chris took of my grandmother surrounded by the kids and me, is the one I miss the most because it was the last picture we took with my grandma before she passed away in October.  We had stopped by to visit grandma on our way to the pool and sat outside her retirement home on a bench chatting and laughing together.  As we were leaving and saying our good-byes, I had Chris take a quick photo and I remember how sweet it was.  Other memories from that weekend:  Ryan golfing with my mom and spending time on the driving range with my dad, playing tennis with Caroline on the Bloomington courts, hours in the pool (and of course, burgers from the snack bar), Ryan and my dad working on his model plane and flying it together at the park, and many walks to and from my parents' neighborhood park with their dog Maggie in tow.  Ahhhh, how we love our time with my parents in St. George :-).